A SIMPLE AND GENERAL-METHOD FOR KINEMATIC SYNTHESIS OF SPATIAL MECHANISMS

In this paper a simple and efficient method for optimum kinematic synt hesis of multibody systems is presented. The proposed formulation is b ased on the use of a set of fully Cartesian coordinates. Using the coo rdinates, the system is described by a set of geometric constraints an d the design requirements are introduced by a set of functional constr aints. An objective function is defined and minimized to obtain the va lues for design parameters. Finally, some planar and three-dimensional examples are presented that illustrate the application of the method. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.